


Worth Knowing

by owlways_and_forever



Series: The Mischief They Create [7]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Hogwarts, lycanthropy, student-teacher friendship, young remus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:00:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26150773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/owlways_and_forever/pseuds/owlways_and_forever
Summary: Poppy meets a new student.
Relationships: Remus Lupin & Poppy Pomfrey
Series: The Mischief They Create [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1888561
Kudos: 15





	Worth Knowing

Like most students, Remus Lupin was eleven years old when he met Poppy Pomfrey for the first time. Everyone else typically met her because they got sick, a spell went wrong, or they missed home. She would provide them with potions or salves or spells to heal whatever ailed them, and send them on their way when they were ready. But Remus was a very different story.

Albus Dumbledore brought Remus to Poppy’s office on September 2nd, first thing in the morning. He was a quiet and shy eleven year old, but incredibly intelligent. Poppy could tell right away that this was a child with immense curiosity, but something always held him back. Even as he got older, Poppy would think the same thing. A remarkable man who always kept himself from realizing his full potential.

“Poppy, I’d like you to meet Remus Lupin,” Dumbledore had said on that first day. “Mr. Lupin is, you see, a werewolf.”

Shock flooded her body, but also sorrow. She couldn’t help but feel sad for this little boy whose life had been cruel, and she could only imagine it would continue. He certainly did not deserve such a life. She knew the kind of persecution and prejudice werewolves faced, and while it seemed unfair for anyone, it was particularly unjust for the quiet eleven year old boy who stood in front of her.

“I have taken precautions so that he may be here, learning in the midst of his peers,” Albus continued. “But I know that no matter how much I prepare, he will likely spend a great deal of his time in this ward. I would like you to do everything in your power to help him and make him comfortable, especially around the time of his transformations.”

“When do I not do everything in my power?” Poppy answered coolly, but she regarded Remus with kind curiosity. “Headmaster, would you leave Mr. Lupin with me for a while? I would like to get to know each other a bit better.”

“Of course,” Albus replied, dipping his head. “His first period is free, but please see to it that he gets to class on time.”

Albus swept from the room with his lilac robes billowing behind him, and the door to the infirmary closed with a heavy _thunk_. 

“Hello, Remus,” Poppy said with a smile. “Why don’t you have a seat?”

As she spoke, two comfortable armchairs appeared in the corner of her spacious office, with a little table set in between. Remus took one of the chairs obediently, and Poppy sat in the other, observing him keenly.

“So,” she started simply, trying to find a way to bond, “are you excited for school? Or perhaps a little nervous?”

Remus nodded, and Poppy noticed him chewing at his lip slightly.

“Well, I happen to know it’ll be wonderful,” she said. “All the kids I see come through here and not one of them has ever hated it.”

“I bet none of them were monsters like me,” he whispered under his breath.

Poppy could sense the self-loathing beating inside the little body, like a second heart hammering away at his soul.

“I’ve never had any werewolves, you are correct,” Poppy admitted to him. “But I have seen my fair share of monsters roam these halls, and believe me, Remus, you aren’t one of them.”

He gave her a pitying smile. She couldn’t tell if it was because he’d likely heard those words spoken a million times and never believed them, or if he thought he would prove her wrong in time.

“Is there anything that you like, something that I can make sure I keep stocked for you?” Poppy asked, changing course.

“Chocolate,” Remus answered without hesitation.

“Did you know that dogs are allergic to chocolate?” she said without really thinking. It was such a habit to spout little fun facts to her students, a way to make them more comfortable.

“Yeah,” he said, and his expression caused Poppy to have a stark realization.

_That’s why he likes it_ , she thought to herself. This boy not only hated himself, but it appeared he had somewhat of a self-destructive streak. This would be more difficult than she first anticipated.

“Alright,” she conceded. “I’d like you to spend some time here, if you don’t mind, when you aren’t ill. It’ll make it more normal for your friends when you do have to spend time here if you have regular appointments with me.”

“I don’t have any friends,” Remus replied, and Poppy instinctively knew that he wasn’t saying that he hadn’t made any friends yet, but rather that he didn’t want to have any friends at all.

“Well, you will, and they won’t find it as strange if you meet me regularly,” Poppy reasserted.

“Fine, what will we do?” Remus asked, a bit huffy. “Weekly checkups?”

“No, I was thinking more along the lines of private lessons,” she said, watching for the gleam of curiosity in his eyes. “You could help me around the hospital wing, and I could teach you some of the ins and outs of healing. What do you think?”

“I’d like that,” he admitted sheepishly.

“I might even be able to help teach you some things that would make your transformations easier,” she mused. “I’ll have to look into it a bit, and you’ll need to work hard at your spellwork. Can you do that?”

Remus nodded, and she knew he wasn’t just doing it for her. This boy loved to learn, she could tell, and she wouldn’t be surprised if he finished the year top of his class.

“Excellent, I’m glad to hear it. Now hurry along, you don’t want to be late for class. I’ll speak to Professor Dumbledore and arrange some time in your schedule.”

“Thank you,” Remus said earnestly. “Er - I’m sorry, what are you called again?”

“Well, mostly I’m called Madam Pomfrey,” she grinned, “but seeing as we’ll be spending so much time together, you can call me Poppy.”

She watched him leave and thought to herself that this was a student that she could truly help, not just for a day or two, but for his entire life.


End file.
